Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech, Z10

Anyone who appreciates good music playback should not look at any 2.1 pc systems, a cheap subwoofer and two satellite speakers are going to sound dreadful. Who wants a booming, over-loud bass totally detached from the treble and a midrange that doesn't exist? This is where the Logitech Z-10s come into play...
I actually bought these to play my mp3 player through! I tried all the docking stations and specialist mp3 speakers but none of them sounded ANYWHERE NEAR as good as these Logitech 'pc speakers'! They have a wonderful almost hifi midrange with a sweet and non-harsh treble. The bass goes very deep and is fast and tuneful without any booming or bloating into the upper midrange. The whole balance between bass, midrange and treble is wonderful. Some people might think these Z-10s are expensive (for pc speakers) but believe me, the sound they produce is that of much more expensive speakers. I have plugged them into my computer also and the sound is even better. I'm not that fond of the display, which I think is a gimmick. Who really needs to have the name of the track they're listening to lit up on their speakers? Surely this information can be selected from the computer itself! I certainly wouldn't shy away from these speakers because of the display though, you'd be missing out if you did. The sound is phenomenal and these don't even deserve to be called pc speakers, they are as I said earlier more akin to hifi speakers. If you want a booming and totally unrealistic bass, one which shakes the floor and annoys your neighbours, these speakers are not for you. If, however, you want to hear all the detail in your music and have it relayed to you in a smooth and non-fatiguing manner with all the warmth you shouldn't dare expect from speakers this inexpensive, order these Z-10s immediately! You won't regret it at all.

I was looking for a replacement set of speakers and chose these on the basis of the reviews here and elsewhere. Buy these and you will not be disappointed - exceptional sound and clarity. I have rediscovered my music collection!!!

One point however which seems to have been missed - the main way of connecting these speakers is via USB - if you do this it by passes your sound card so the best option is to connect via USB for the display and by the speaker jack direct from your sound card to the speaker. You also need to ensure you set your sound card as default for playback and everything works brilliantly.

I originally had a Logitech 2.1 system but found the subwoofer swamped the satellites, it was okay for game explosions but music and streaming radio was poor, so sold on the 2.1 speakers and bought the Z10.

The sound quality is superb, great bass without swamping and speech resonance is very good, excellent audio resolution and they also look very good as well although they are big. They are very well designed with the mains adaptor built into the left speaker so no power block and a auxiliary input at the back of the right speaker so you can plug in a iPod or CD player without the need to have the PC on. Works fine with vista just make sure you download the latest drivers from Logitech's web site. My only slight criticism is the functionality of the built in display, its a great idea and very well presented but there are hardly any applets, a clock, a system resources bar, a basic iTunes, Winamp, media player control, a mail notified (only Microsoft built in) and some messenger client notification and some game specific things, it would be great to see some more practical apps such as a mini iTunes client, internet radio client etc

These speakers are an absolute gem! Superb sound, nice weighty build quality and yes, the display isn't much use but that doesn;t take anything away from this product for me. Accepts any 3.5m jack plaug so I am even using them to boost the sound from my DVD player - just like being in the cinema.

You can spend £40 on some rubbish 2.1 systems but definitely worth investing in these.

I am fortunate to own both Creative T40 Series 2 and Logitech Z-10 speakers. Both are excellent quality stereo speakers for listening to music from classical to heavy rock and fine for normal gaming. However, if you looking for something to shake the crockery from your neighbours dresser or want to be bombarded from all directions by a wall of sound when fighting the latest space battle, then look elsewhere.
The T40s are slightly narrower and taller than the Z-10s and have an external transformer which can give off a slight hum although you wouldn't notice it as it is quieter than the background noise from your typical PC. The Z-10s transformer is built into one of the speakers which makes that speaker a lot heavier than its counterpart.
Both products produce excellent, crystal clear sound, more than adequate for any avid music listener. The T40s have 3 external control knobs on/volume, treble, and bass that are easily and quickly adjusted unless you have large fingers in which case you may perceive them as a little fiddly. Connection to the PC is by means of the standard stereo speaker port from the PC's sound card. The front headphone socket and front `aux in' socket for an mp3 player are useful additions. There is also a rear socket to connect an mp3 docking station.
The Z-10s controls are by means of a touch sensitive panel on the front of one of the speakers. These can be a little erratic at times particularly if the speakers are warm from being switched on for a while. The Z-10 also has two connectivity options - (1) a USB connection which allows certain information to be displayed above the control panel, such as song title, date & time, etc. (2) the standard stereo speaker connection from the PC's sound card, which doesn't provide any information. The USB connection is a little gimmicky, and you can't use standard PC software for tailoring the sound. So you have a choice, if you want to tailor or play around with the sound you will need to connect them to the standard speaker port and lose the display (which kind of defeats the object of having these speakers); or connect them to a USB port and have the display but sacrifice being able to tailor the sound.
The T40s don't have that choice as there is only a standard speaker connection - so there is no dilemma here.
The Z-10s are slightly more powerful than the T40s although both are adequate for normal room listening conditions. However, I found the T40s to have a slightly crisper sound and perform well even at full volume. The only other minor point with the T40s is an annoying click if the power is turned off at the mains without turning the speaker itself off first, which you don't get with the Z-10s.
If I was to compare them, I would say that the Creative T40s have the edge owing to their marginally better sound quality and less finicky controls. But if you decide to purchase the Logitech Z-10s for the USB connection and novel display features you won't be disappointed.
So overall, I would rate the T40s 5 out of 5, and the Z-10s 4 out of 5.